On Thursday, December 31st, in her final statement of 2020, Governor Kate Brown issued a statement warning business owners and local politicians against planned defiance of her Executive Orders that have currently crippled business activities in 24 of Oregon’s 36 counties.
“Oregonians need to understand that these rules are enforceable under law. For businesses that refuse to comply, OSHA and OLCC staff are empowered to take administrative action including issuing citations, fines, and Red Warning Notices if necessary.”
“Oregon’s health and safety measures are in place to protect Oregonians, save lives, and keep our hospitals and health care workers from becoming overwhelmed by COVID-19…It’s unfortunate and irresponsible that some local politicians are choosing to willfully mislead business owners into jeopardizing public health and risking fines” Governor Brown said.
“Let me be clear: Local elected officials do not have the authority under Oregon law to disregard my emergency orders or to authorize anyone else to do so. Any businesses that reopen in violation of state risk level requirements for their county will be subject to fines and enforcement.” “I have directed Oregon OSHA and the OLCC to deploy all available resources to ensure businesses are in compliance.” she went on to say.
On the very next day, January 1st, 2021, as one of Governor Brown’s first statements of the new year, Governor Brown called for the early release of some adults in custody in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“My top priority is keeping Oregonians safe and healthy–regardless of where they are living.”
“I asked the director of the Department of Corrections (DOC) to provide me with data on adults in custody who are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19, as well as for detailed information on a number of steps we could potentially take to further slow the spread of this disease while continuing to keep the public safe.
“I look forward to reviewing the information DOC provides, and I will continue to assess new information in order to make the best, data-informed decisions as the COVID-19 situation evolves. I believe this is the responsible thing to do.”